Introversion and extroversion
The terms introvert and extrovert (spelled extravert by Carl Jung who initially identified these temperatments) reveal how a person orients and receives their energy.
Origin of terms
This was one of Jung's most important discoveries —the realization that by understanding the way we typically process information, we can gain insights into why we act and feel the way we do. Jung identified two core psychological processes that he termed "extravert" (as originally spelled by Jung and considered a variant of the word extrovert in the Merriam Webster Dictionary) and "introvert." In Jung's original usage, the extravert orientation finds meaning outside the self, preferring the external world of things and people and activities. Extraverts tend to be energetic, enthusiastic, action-oriented, talkative, and assertive. Therefore an extroverted person is likely to enjoy time spent with people and find less reward in time spent alone. The introvert is introspective and finds meaning within, preferring their internal world of thoughts, feelings, fantasies, dreams. Introverts tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the social world. Thus, one who is introverted is more likely to spend time alone or in contemplation, as these activities are rewarding. They may avoid social situations entirely, not because of shyness, but because they choose to.Jung also identified four primary modes of experiencing the world: thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition. He referred to these as the four functions.
Significant in Jung's theory is that "type preferences" are inborn and not socially constructed through interaction with the parents, family, culture and other external influences. Even so, the individual is impacted in the quality and strength of the development in her or his preferences. Nature and nurture are both at play. A supportive environment will facilitate inborn preference development; a contrary environment will impede or retard the natural development of inborn preferences.
While most people view being either introverted or extroverted as a question with only two answers, the reality is that this is probably more of a scale, with people falling on both ends and in between. The term ambivert was coined to denote people who fall more or less directly in the middle and exhibit tendencies of both groups. An ambivert is normally comfortable with groups and enjoys social interaction, but also relishes time alone and away from the crowd. Ambiverts tend to be moderate thinkers and weigh more than one side to an issue. Most have warm but controlled personalities.
In today's society it is generally seen as more of a positive quality to lean towards being extrovert rather than introvert. Most people who consider themselves introverts usually steer clear of the word when describing themselves i.g. at a job interview, because they think people will see them as eccentric and different. People who see themselves as extroverts however, will gladly use this word in a description of themselves thinking most people will consider it a positive quality.
Current research
The relative importance of nature versus environment in determining the level of introversion/extroversion is controversial and the focus of many studies. Twin studies find a genetic component of .39 to .58. In terms of the environmental component, the shared family environment appears to be far less important than individual environmental factors (not shared by siblings) [1].
Hans Eysenck proposed that extraversion was caused by variability in cortical arousal; "introverts are characterized by higher levels of activity than extraverts and so are chronically more cortically aroused than extraverts". Because extraverts are less aroused internally, they require more external stimulation than introverts. This theory may be backed up by evidence that extroversion is tied to a gene that shapes the brain's response to dopamine [2]. Other evidence of this “stimulation” hypothesis is that introverts are less tolerant of painful electric shock and salivate more than extroverts [3]
One study found that introverts have more blood flow in the frontal lobes of their brain and the anterior or front thalamus, which are areas dealing with internal processing such as remembering and problem solving. Extroverts have more blood flow in anterior cingulate gyrus, temporal lobes and posterior thalamus, which are involved in sensory processing such as listening and watching[4]. It is difficult to determine the causal relationship in this case. The differences in brain activity may cause the differences in personality, or the person's tendency to introversion/extroversion may mainfest itself in brain activity, or there may be some complex interaction between the two.
Use in Personality Assessment
Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers found Jung's types and functions so revealing of people's personalities that they decided to develop a paper-and-pencil test called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and is one of the most popular, and most studied, tests around.
Notes
- ^ Personality Similarity in Twins Reared Apart and Together
- ^ Portrait of Gene Guy
- ^ Personality studies
- ^ Brain activity indicates introverts or extroverts
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